Meet Kirsten Hartzell

We were lucky to catch up with Kirsten Hartzell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kirsten, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

For so much of my life I’ve sought to make. Early on it was pencil to paper with lead smudged across my hands, then paint on canvas, formless clay turned into vessels growing more fine over the years, but the thing that always attracted my attention most was making connections, relationships — a making sense of our humanity and life experiences. I think chasing that is ultimately what led me to such a relationship forward career path. One where art, relationship, emotion, and intimacy bled together in a way that paint, pen or words could never make complete sense of for me.

I’ve always been so raw at heart to the nostalgic little things compiled into our existence and I think so much of my life and experiences pulled me naturally towards finding a way to savor and document that fully. I fought the pull of it for a long time thinking I needed to follow a more traditional life path but denying the fundamental urge to create art and capture the beauty of this wild life ultimately felt like fighting gravity. Eventually I knew I had to give in and let it ground me, I am so thankful I did.

I think so much of finding our purpose is rooted in our life experiences. In the little building blocks that stack up overtime and make up pieces of our identity. I think I’ve always wanted to be a maker and an artist, my life was filled with countless pieces building that foundation. I believe overtime it may change and shift as the fundamental pieces of who I am evolve with it but leaning into the things that set my soul ablaze is where I will find home once more. It’s not always easy, the highs are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever had the chance to experience – the lows are some of the most dark, daunting valleys I’ve ever walked but it’s mine and it’s the kind of hard I am willing to choose day in and day out.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I loosely started a photography business back in 2016 when I was in college and before I believed that photography could be a full time career. At the time it felt like a fun way to continue putting what I was learning in the classroom to use and make a little bit of money. It wasn’t until four years later faced with a job that left me feeling drained when I realized, during the lockdown, I had something I loved but had been too scared to pursue. It was time to take a chance on myself and see what I could make of it. Since 2020 I haven’t looked back, I’ve been able to build a business I love, make connections with the most amazing people and help so many preserve some of life’s sweetest moments.

As a photographer specializing in wedding photography and couples photography, I find that so much of what I do is rooted in connection and relationship. It all begins with trust, with giving my couples the space to exist and be themselves. That’s where the magic really happens. My brand is centered on that nostalgic feeling you get dusting off a box of old photographs and reliving the good old days. It’s grounded in the relationships I build with my clients and it’s for the old souls seeking that beautiful and fleeting proof of existence.

I think of my work as a customized time capsule for each of my couples. Something inherently precious worthy of being preserved and held onto to share with their loved ones throughout the years.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I feel like there’s been so many stages of my business, each so important in their own way. You have to lean into each step because it lays the groundwork of what’s to come. If I were to boil it down to three areas I would focus on it would be this. You have to be the artist, the business owner, and your own advocate. Without the passion and desire to create, I never would have started down this path. The excitement and joy in what I was doing got me through those early years even when things were tough. As I feel like my business and myself have matured I’ve really leaned into being the owner of my business, the CEO. I think so much more about income, expenses, long term plans, and things I never would have dreamed of in my early years. It may not seem as exciting or glamorous but this skillset has impacted my business in so many positive ways and I get excited seeing the growth on the back end of things just as much as creating. This one might be the hardest to some, I know it certainly is a skill I need to practice on the regular, but you truly need to be your strongest advocate — your own biggest fan. The truth of it is, no one is coming. When you are a solo entrepreneur making your way in the world, it’s usually just you, at least it is for the first few years. No one is going to make you do the work, cheer yourself on through the good and the bad, explain why your value matters, run your business, and promote your work besides you. It’s a sobering yet freeing thought.

As an entrepreneur you wear so many hats which can be overwhelming but the best advice I can give is to keep going. Keep showing up in the good and the bad, show up when you don’t feel like it, keep doing the work because you are still making progress even on the worst of days. Don’t be afraid to sit with your thoughts, ask yourself the hard questions, take time to rest and recover but never stop thinking things through. Some of my best work and ideas stems from just letting myself think and continue to show up when it’s the last thing I want to do.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

I used to think it was ridiculous when I was growing up, but my parents made me pay for my own phone and pay for most activities/outings with friends I wanted to be a part of. I had consistent chores, I was expected to keep a clean room and all my siblings learned to cook a meal or two once a week for the family. I hated it but it taught me so much. I find that I have so much more appreciation for how I spend my money and the things I invest in because I learned the value of it at an early age. I also learned the difference between valuing my time more or my money more which is a lesson I put into practice daily. Learning to keep a space clean and orderly has transferred into the way I keep my home which helps give me so much mental clarity and not have to stress clean every few weeks. They also taught me to leave something better than I found it which is my outlook on every room, situation or relationship I cross paths with. It’s not always possible but more often than not I can put it into practice.

Having these structures and responsibilities really shaped my every day practices and laid some of the groundwork for the way I think and do things. If you read any self development books, they often start with similar practices and each day knowing I am waking up to a clean space, knowing my priorities and have a list of tasks I want to accomplish really has impacted my life for the better. Instead of having an endless list I know I can take it one day at a time and by consistency and continuing to show up, it will all get done.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Images 1-3
Venue: The Cypress House
MUA: Kate Makeup Artistry
WCC: Gabri Behind the Scenes
Floral: Cypress Floral
Design: Cypress Design
Hair: Becca Hag
Bridesmaid dresses: Azazie
Catering: The Food Guy Catering Co
Suits: The Clothier

Images 4 & 5
Venue: Hershey Gardens
Dress: Happy Isles Salon
Floral: Petals With Style

Images 6 & 7
DJ: Marylands DJ, Steven Hartka Music
HMUA: Mallia Salon Spa, Styled by Sara H
Dress: Love Couture Bridal
Bridesmaids: Show Me Your Mumu
Suits: Ted Barry Tuxedos

Image 8
Floral: Tamis Floral
Cake: The Cake Place
Caterer: The Caledonia Inn
Venue: The Wadsworth Homestead
DJ: Think Savy
Hair: Artist Natalie Common & Lori Ebert
MUA: Brittney Weakland Beauty
Video: Gavin Law Films
Bar: Wellsville Brewing Company
Rentals: Revival Rental

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